Geekology 101: Top 10 nerdy events of the year (so far)

I don’t know why but I?have been seeing a lot of top ten lists popping up around the webosphere. Since I have never really compiled a top 10 list for anything, I thought this would be a fun process.

Gary Darling

I don’t know why, but I?have been seeing a lot of top 10 lists popping up around the webosphere.

Since I have never really compiled a top 10 list for anything, I thought this would be a fun process.

The main problem that struck me was what to make the list about.

Oh, I?could do something about baseball. Like the top 10 reasons I believe the Royals won’t win a World Series any time soon, but everybody does one of those.

Then I thought I could do the top 10 reasons why whiners are ruining the newly released "Diablo 3" with their insistence that "Diablo 2" is so much more superior. But even I am getting tired of writing about "Diablo."

No, I?decided to go with something near and dear to me: The top 10 nerdtastic happenings that applied to me for the first half of 2012.

10. The release of the iPad 3, or “the new iPad,” as it is refered to by those at Apple.
Though I don’t have one, any time Apple makes a new announcements about anything this becomes a big deal to me. Call me an Apple nerd ... guilty!

9. The release of the much-anticipated "Diablo 3."
Though most gamers out there would say that this relaunch by Blizzard was a failure, I don’t agree. I?like the game play and look forward to seeing how Blizzard will continue to tweak it to make it just right.

8. My first venture into the tablet world.
This was a big deal in my house. I had been playing around with the idea of owning a tablet for a while. It had to be stylish but cost effective to warrant a purchase. Enter the Kindle Fire, and life is well at the Darling house.

7. The movie "John Carter."
For those that don’t know this film, you should go out and give it a rent, it may just surprise you. This film ushered in this years summer blockbuster season, and it was the perfect lead-in.

6. Discovering the Android/iOS app WhatsApp.
For those of you that don’t have unlimited texting, this is the app for you. It offers all the functionality of a texting service but at a low-low price of free for the first year.

5. My iPod Nano surprise.
I am sure those of you have seen the “replace your iPod Nano”?recall listings on Facebook. Well I actually gave it a shot. My iPod Nano - 1st Gen hadn’t worked in a while, so I?thought, “what was the worst that could happen”??Well, sent in my old iPod Nano and got a new one for absolutely nothing. Thanks, Apple!

4. Discovering the cult film "Bubba Ho-Tep."
For those Bruce Campbell fans out there, this is a must-see. I had heard so many great things about this film but never watched it until this past week. Now I am sorry I was so late to the game.

3. Spotify.
For me, I love to listen to music at work and just about anywhere. I also like to discover new music. Enter Spotify. With Spotify I can listen to albums by my favorite artists and also listen to new bands that are similar to my favorites. Much like Pandora but without feeling as clunky.

1. Introducing my kids to the "Star Wars" original trilogy.
As a geek dad, this is a moment I?have been dreaming about since I was a kid. Plus, my boys both loved it!?See there, dreams do come true.

And that is my top 10 list. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Now on to the rest of 2012. The rest of the year looks just as exciting and interesting.

Gary Darling is the geekiest employee at the Maryville (Mo.) Daily Forum. His online blog address is justanewdad.blogspot.com, and his email is gdarling@maryvilledailyforum.com. Drop him a line sometime!